COVID-19: Updates for providers

As concerns about COVID-19 (caused by the novel coronavirus) evolve, Geisinger is taking extra steps to protect our patients and members, staff and community members. That’s why we’ve put together this resource page for you, where you can see all the latest in one place.

As we move together through this pandemic, continue to use Geisinger’s Coronavirus Hotline at 570-284-3657 for all COVID-19 needs. Call the hotline before sending patients to any of our facilities, as it’s the best way to both coordinate appropriate care and protect our patients, providers and staff.

GHP COVID-19 town halls for healthcare providers and office staff

Join us for an upcoming conversation about GHP’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and how you can limit disruption to the business behind caring for your GHP patients. The conversation will be focused on GHP coverage, billing, telemedicine and other operational considerations around COVID-19 related services. GHP representatives will be available to take your questions.
Mark your calendars. No registration required. Specifically, for GHP participating provider office and billing staff. Town halls will be conducted virtually using Skype.

We recommend you use the "Call me at:" option when joining the meeting to ensure you can hear the presentation. Simply enter your phone number to have Skype call you into the meeting. You can also join through the Skype app on your smartphone.

In support of improving patient care, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statement
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the educational activity.

We know how important it is to our patients that we provide them with the care they need, when they need it most. Geisinger has made a commitment across all our regions to do just that with our Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) team.

During this COVID-19 pandemic we have re-organized our schedules to optimize patients’ safety and their experience. We will provide abbreviated outpatient clinic services on select dates and times for patients with urgent needs across our regions.

Additionally, we have introduced telemedicine appointment options to meet with patients virtually and minimize potential exposure to the virus. For a full list of available services during COVID-19, please see this flyer.

Here are some key things to know about Pediatric Cardiology and ACHD care during COVID-19:

To refer a patient, please use “Peds Cardiology Referral OP” in EPIC (EPIC 210) or call the physician referral line at 1-800-332-8901.

To speak to a scheduler or member of our administrative staff, please call 570-271-6089.

For ACHD concerns, please call the ACHD hotline at 570-214-ACHD(2243).

As this public health crisis has evolved, we’ve fielded a lot of requests from our partners for credible COVID-19 resources and information that can be shared with your providers, staff and patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website offers a robust supply of printable/shareable guidance that covers just about every topic that COVID-19 may impact. This information can be filter by topic or audience and is accessible here.

The website is also has a significant amount of information for healthcare professionals about coronavirus. This resource offers guidance for treatment and management, drugs and investigational therapies and helpful insight about at-risk populations.

Because these recommendations are updated to reflect the best available practices at any given time, I encourage you to visit the website frequently so you are sharing the most current insight. The resources for healthcare professionals about COVID-19 are available here.

Soon, we’ll begin reopening certain areas of our hospitals and medical centers, making many non-urgent but medically necessary surgeries available once again.

However, this won’t happen overnight — and there isn’t a set timeframe. That’s because our priority will always be the safety of our communities. We will continue to get people the care that they need, just as we have been doing throughout this pandemic.

We will begin resuming procedures in areas where COVID-19 activity is lower, currently in areas around central and west-central Pennsylvania. This approach will gradually expand across our service area based on COVID-19 activity in each community, while we also weigh guidance from state and federal officials and asses our internal capabilities.

In early May, we will begin resuming low-risk procedures that:

Can be performed in an outpatient setting and

Do not require COVID-19 testing, overnight hospitalization or our staff to wear the highest-level of PPE (personal protective equipment)

Some examples of these types of procedures include:

Carpal tunnel surgery

Cataract surgery

Hernia surgery

Joint or spine surgeries

We will contact people who meet the criteria for non-urgent procedures to notify them of their options and available appointments. If a patient’s condition has since worsened, please direct them to call their specialty provider.

Identifying people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and encouraging them to self-quarantine hugely important in flattening the curve. That’s why Geisinger has established a contact tracing program.

When patients tested at Geisinger are diagnosed with COVID-19, a Geisinger provider will work with them to identify people they’ve come in close contact within the 48 hours before their symptoms began.

When patients know the names and phone numbers of the people they have been in close contact with, a member of Geisinger’s research team will call those people.

Without identifying the positive patient, the researcher will tell the person they may have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 and provide them with steps they should follow to help slow the spread.

Patients are weighing whether going into the ER is worth potentially being exposed to COVID-19. In response to this pandemic, Geisinger has taken additional precautions for the safety of those who need care at one of our facilities. We’re open and ready for non-COVID-19-related emergencies and patients with life threatening medical conditions will get the same level of care they would have before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients who are experiencing a health emergency should not delay and get to the ER. There are screening sites at all Geisinger facilities – those who are at higher risk for COVID-19 will be placed in a different room than those who screen negative to help slow the spread of the virus. Patients who screen positive for high risk for potential COVID-19 are likely to be cared for by providers dressed in protective equipment.

As a reminder, the temporary restriction in-person visits to our hospitalized patients remains in effect. Please help us encourage patients and families to use alternative ways of interacting, including phone calls, FaceTime, Skype and other means. Learn about virtual visitation here.

Under certain situations, subject to specific guidelines, some exceptions will be made. See the full policy here.

In an effort to empower our patients during these unusual times, we want to share insights about our patient portal, myGeisinger. And we’re asking for your help with encouraging the patients we are caring for together.

This resource is proving especially helpful for those who are managing COVID-19 symptoms. myGeisinger may help minimize telephone calls by offering our patients access to a personal account with a wide range of services accessible from any computer or mobile device. These services include:

Requesting and managing appointments

Messaging Geisinger providers and the members of a patient’s care team

Seeing most test results quickly

Renewing prescriptions

Access your loved ones’ information*

Password protection makes myGeisinger safe and secure. Enrollment is easy and patients can sign up today at myGeisinger.org or download the MyChart mobile app by texting “app” to 570-701-8408.

To give patients continued access to primary and specialty care while slowing the spread of COVID-19, Geisinger has expanded its telehealth services to include more than 70 specialties.

Telemedicine visits allow patients to speak with providers in real time using video chat technology on a secure network. Telemedicine visits are available for a wide range of conditions including colds and flu, rashes, diabetes, mental health, neurologic conditions and many more.

Telemedicine visits are accessible through a smartphone (iPhone or Android), a tablet or a computer with a webcam and speaker, along with a high-speed internet connection.

To find out if telehealth is right for your patients or which specialty providers are offering virtual visits, call 866-530-6925. Patients who have an upcoming appointment with a Geisinger provider can also contact their specialist’s office directly and ask about virtual visits. Telehealth services are available to Geisinger Health Plan members at no cost through June 15, and many other insurers are waiving copays for this service. Learn more about telemedicine here.

Geisinger has also put elective, non-urgent procedures on hold through May 31 to protect our patients. Here’s what you need to know:

Non-urgent appointments may be rescheduled, or patients will be offered other care options, such as telephone or telemedicine visits.

Patients with urgent appointments will be cared for, and we will use the screening process already in place for identifying potential infection or exposure.

Scheduled imaging will continue as planned; however, patients will be screened at the time of their scheduling and/or at their appointment.

We will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether we need to extend this process.

While COVID-19 has changed our daily lives in many ways, one thing hasn’t changed: our patients still need care when things don’t go as planned. If you have a patient with urgent eye care needs, we can help.

To access our emergent eye care clinics, patients are first screened via phone by one of our residents. This triage process helps us determine if the patient needs to be seen in the clinic, if they may benefit from a telemedicine consult or if they can simply get answers from the resident over the phone. Through this process, we can identify healthy patients from those with symptoms of COVID-19, reducing the possibility of exposure.

Please note the following ophthalmology service updates:

Ophthalmology has centralized services to our Woodbine location in Danville and the Baltimore Drive clinic in Wilkes-Barre.

Retinal services continue in Williamsport and Gray’s Woods in State College.

For urgent eye care needs, call the following numbers:

Physicians/providers calling to speak with resident, call our referring physician line at 570-271-5630.

Patients who need triaged should call 570-271-6531 and use option 7. The secretary will connect them with a resident who will complete the triage.

Find helpful information about what eye patients need to know about COVID-19 here.

Option 3 – Patient and currently experiencing fever and cough, have recently travelled outside of the country or have come in contact with someone who has travelled outside of the country and would like to speak to a nurse

Option 4 – Provider with patient lab testing questions

Option 5 – Provider with patient care guidelines questions and would like to speak to Infection Control

Operator will page ID provider with your contact information for call back

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, many of us are practicing social distancing and staying home to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. While social distancing is a great way to protect yourself and others from getting sick, being separated can leave you feeling a little disconnected, isolated and alone.

For those dealing with addictions, this may be an especially difficult time and Geisinger’s Addiction Medicine team is here to help. We’ve taken additional measures for the safety of patients and staff in our inpatient and outpatient settings and are now offering telehealth addiction medicine services.

While we continue to offer inpatient treatment at Geisinger Marworth, we can also offer outpatient addiction counseling via telehealth.

We continue to receive a lot of requests for credible COVID-19 resources and information that can be shared with your providers, staff and patients. Recently, Geisinger produced a podcast series featuring Stanley Martin, MD, director of Infectious Diseases at Geisinger, where he discusses coronavirus.

In a recent episodes, Dr. Martin talks about different treatments for COVID-19 (including home quarantine). He has also covered topics focusing on coronavirus facts, symptoms, testing and home isolation. These are short and informative and are appropriate for providers, staff and patients. You can access the entire series here.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health website also offers a robust supply of printable and shareable fact sheets, covering just about every topic that COVID-19 may impact. You can access those fact sheets here.

Because these recommendations are updated to reflect the best available practices at any given time, I encourage you to visit the website frequently to insure you are sharing the most current insight.

This links will take you to Neighborly, a resource page that helps individuals and families find free or reduced-cost services in their communities. They can search for local resources to access food, housing, child care, transportation, utility assistance, healthcare, financial assistance and other needs.

Geisinger is here to help our communities stay safe and healthy, and to provide guidance and updates on ways to protect yourselves and your patients. In order to more effectively direct your inquiries, we have updated our Coronavirus Resource Center to serve as one landing page for all your resource and information needs. You can now access our daily updates, learn about scheduling telemedicine visits and secure the latest insight about clinic closures and service changes. We encourage you to bookmark the Coronavirus Resource Center.

Elective Procedures and Appointment Updates:

Geisinger has put elective, non-urgent procedures on hold through April 30.

Non-urgent appointments may be rescheduled, or patients will be offered other care options, such as telephone or telemedicine visits.

Patients with urgent appointments will be cared for, and we will use the screening process already in place for identifying potential infection or exposure.

Scheduled imaging will continue as planned; however, patients will be screened at the time of their scheduling and/or at their appointment.

We will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether we need to extend this process beyond April 30.

Geisinger Telemedicine Virtual Doctor Visits:

You patients don’t have to skip or cancel their medical appointments because of COVID-19. To keep your health on track and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, we’re offering telemedicine virtual care visits (also called telehealth).

Clinic and Service Updates:

Because of COVID-19, fewer members of the community require care in our clinics and we are temporarily concentrating our care into fewer locations. This way, we can redeploy staff and supplies in higher-need areas while maintaining open clinics for those who still need timely care. We have reached out to patients affected by these efforts to reschedule their appointments or offer alternate options for care.

If patients believe they may have COVID-19, please call our 24/7 hotline at 570-284-3657.
Remember, you can now access this information and past updates from the Coronavirus Resource Center homepage in the Staff & Providers section under Community Providers.

While COVID-19 has changed our daily lives in many ways, one thing hasn’t changed: our patients still need treatment when things don’t go as planned. If you have a patient with an injury such as a minor strain, sprain or simple fracture, you can send them to one of Geisinger’s six Orthopaedic Urgent Care locations. This helps us separate healthy patients from those with symptoms of COVID-19.

We’re proud to offer these services in Camp Hill, Danville, Lewistown, State College, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. We’ve created a fast facts that highlights each of the locations, the telephone number and hours of service. It also offers additional details about our services and includes important considerations.

We see injuries related to:

Minor strains

Sprains

Simple fractures

We can:

Evaluate and treat injuries

Perform X-rays

Create splints and casts

Administer pre-approved injections

Schedule follow-up appointments

Provide documentation for workers’ compensation

We cannot treat severe fractures or dislocations. These conditions need to be sent to the Emergency Department for after-hours care or an appointment could be scheduled. We cannot perform advanced imaging at our locations, and we cannot order or provide pain medication.

Thursday, April 2, 2020 – Email
You Can Help Stop the Spread: Home Isolation Guidance for Patients Waiting for COVID-19 Testing or Results

As we continue to monitor the impact COVID-19 is having across our state, we more clearly understand the critical importance of slowing the spread across our region and in our communities. If there’s one thing we can do right now to flatten the curve and limit the spread of COVID-19, this is it – educate our patients (and ourselves, family and friends) about the need for self-isolation and help everyone understand what that means.

As patients are waiting to be tested for COVID-19, they should behave like they have already tested positive. They should also tell anyone they’ve been in contact with that they may have contracted COVID-19 so those individuals can self-isolate and monitor their health for any signs of respiratory illness (fever, cough, shortness of breath).

You can download and print this resource, which we’re sharing with the hope that you will join us in our efforts to educate the public about their role in preventing further infections. Feel free to distribute this information to your patients and colleagues.

Circumstances where self-isolation can have a significant impact:

If individuals are waiting to be tested

If they have been tested and are awaiting results

If they have received a positive test result

If an individual meets any of criteria, they need to understand how critical it is to follow the home isolation guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Here’s how you can help:

•If you or your staff are working with any of these patient groups, you need to make sure they understand the critical importance of sharing these guidelines with our patients. Proper self-isolation will make a difference.
•The same is true for you, your family and friends. Please share with all your contacts how self-isolation can help to reduce spreading the virus. Explain the guidelines for what to do when self-isolating.

As you are aware, the COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and we would like thank you for your continued COVID-19 screening diligence. With the current demand for testing, we ask that you please continue to methodically screen people so that we can most effectively serve those in need.

To assist in that process, we’re sharing a resource that was developed by Geisinger’s Infectious Disease team. This document is meant to guide providers who are screening patients for appropriateness for testing and contains further care and management recommendations.

Geisinger’s Coronavirus Hotline at 570-284-3657 is the best way to connect with one of our infection control providers or schedule testing for someone meeting criteria we have provided. Call the hotline before sending patients to any of our facilities, as it’s the best way to both coordinate appropriate care and protect our patients, providers and staff.

We are committed to serving the needs of our community and our Coronavirus Hotline is experiencing high call volumes. Please make patients aware that they may have a wait time when contacting the hotline and that a callback option is available if they prefer not to wait on the line.

Understandably, testing demand has increased and we are working to expand our testing capabilities. Geisinger has a set number of tests that we can safely administer each day and our availability for outpatient testing appointments varies by region. We are committed to scheduling appointments for individuals who meet the screening guidelines.

Remember, these updates are now accessible via GeisingerConnect or EMRlink and are available online.

In our continuing efforts to provide you with the most updated information and resources, we have developed a few ways for your to access important messages about COVID-19. While we will continue to send this information to you directly, our daily communications are now available online here.

GeisingerConnect and EMRlink users can also access our provider resource page from those applications. Please refer to this reference sheet for additional information.

GeisingerConnect is our secure physician portal, designed to facilitate patient care by providing clinical information to physicians. Interested in learning more? Learn about the tool’s features and how to enroll here.

Monday, March 30, 2020 – Email

Geisinger’s One Call Transfer Center Process/Geisinger Lab Updates:

Geisinger’s One Call Transfer Center Process: 570-214-9104

Our team is prepared, trained, and stands ready to treat our communities during any public health concern. COVID-19 is no exception.

Geisinger Placement Services (GPS) continues to follow its normal procedure for coordinating hospital transfers and patient placement. GPS will also continue to coordinate LifeFlight services. If a patient is COVID-19 PUI or positive, call Geisinger’s One Call Transfer Center at 570-214-9104 and your call will be connect with the medical director of LifeFlight for additional triage to coordinate appropriate transportation. Please refer to this fact sheet for additional information.

We ask that you also continue to utilize Geisinger’s Coronavirus Hotline (570-284-3657) for all COVID-19 needs. It is critically important to call the hotline before sending patients to any of our facilities, as it is the best way to both coordinate appropriate care and protect patients, providers and staff.

Geisinger Medical Laboratory and Geisinger Proven Diagnostics Location Updates
Geisinger is committed to offering patients convenient locations for patient specimen collection. Recently, some of our clinic sites and Patient Service Centers (PSC) have closed or changed their hours. Additionally, some of our PSCs have been designated as access points for at-risk patient populations (those over 60 or designated as immunocompromised).

Find a PSC or clinic near you and get real-time updates about closures or schedule modification here.

Friday March 27, 2020 – Email

Updated Visitor Policy:

Over the past few days, we have received a number of requests for resources and updates about our visitation guidelines. Like you, our priority has always been the health and well-being of our patients.

We understand how much it means to family members and friends to be able to visit with loved ones while they are in the hospital — and also how much it means for them. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, we’re taking extra steps to protect our patients, team members and the community at large. Those steps include visitation policies we put in place on March 20, 2020.

Geisinger Coronavirus Hotline: 570-284-3657

Option 3 – Patient and currently experiencing fever and cough, have recently travelled outside of the country or have come in contact with someone who has travelled outside of the country and would like to speak to a nurse

Option 4 – Provider with patient lab testing questions

Option 5 – Provider with patient care guidelines questions and would like to speak to Infection Control

Option 6 – Geisinger Employee with PPE Supply Chain Request

Option 7 – Geisinger Employee with Questions on Returning to Work

Option 8 – Geisinger Employee with questions about benefits specific to COVID-19 and would like to speak with HR Representatives

Spanish speaking option now available at greeting

Tuesday March 24, 2020 – Email

Credible Coronavirus Resources:

The Pennsylvania Department of Health website offers printable/shareable fact sheets, covering just about every topic that COVID-19 may impact. You can access those fact sheets here.

Because these recommendations are updated to reflect the best available practices at any given time, visit the website frequently to insure you are sharing the most current insight.

Please continue to utilize our Coronavirus Resource Center and hotline (570-284-3657) for the latest available updates and to access our services. These are appropriate resources for providers, staff and even patients.

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